When you look around our community, are you looking as - a first-time visitor? - a potential investor? - a business owner looking for new markets?

Because if you care about investment in our community, there is one important thing you need to do: SEE TRASH.

When we, as Nevadans, look at the downtown Riverwalk, we might see a symbol of strength and beauty through recession. A visitor might only see floating styrofoam cups and plastic bags hanging in trees. When we admire our open spaces, we might see exciting opportunities for recreation, when out-of-town investors and business owners see a dirty couch and pile of tires.

Seeing trash — and then picking it up — is the specialty of Keep Truckee Truckee Meadows Beautiful (where I serve on the board of trustees), which every year coordinates hundreds of volunteers — people like you and me — along with businesses, community groups and organizations to make our home a cleaner, safer, more beautiful place to live and do business.

As a local real estate agent, I hear what families considering relocating to our area think when they come to explore a possible move. If we want to spur economic development in our area, to attract new neighbors and new business — as well as retain the customers our wonderful local businesses already enjoy — we need to make sure our area is as beautiful and welcoming as possible. And because we live here too, we need to clean up after ourselves.

So join us online at ktmb.org for more simple ways you can help Reno’s rebirth in your community, and try this now: SEE TRASH (and then pick up! Contact KTMB if you need gloves or trash bags)!